The Autograph comes with a Certificate of Authenticity.
He grew up in Spokane, Washington, studied with Marietta Coyle, Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Martial Singher, and Horst Günther. In 1980 he took the second prize at the 's-Hertogenbosch International Vocal Competition, and in 1981 first place in the Metropolitan Opera Auditions. In 1992, Hampson earned a BA degree in Government from Eastern Washington University.

As the young, tall and handsome protegé of late Leonard Bernstein, Hampson recorded Gustav Mahler's Kindertotenlieder and Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen with him for Deutsche Grammophone. This recording is widely appreciated.

Today considered one of America's leading baritones, Hampson's operatic repertoire spans a wide range of roles: the title roles in Mozart's Don Giovanni, Rossini's Guillaume Tell, Ambroise Thomas' Hamlet, and Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin; Figaro in Rossini's Barber of Seville, Germont in Verdi's La traviata and more recently also Amfortas in Wagner's Parsifal. In 2003 his recording of Wagner's Tannhäuser received the Grammy Award for Best Opera Recording.